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Benitez's Last Minute Decision To Play Torres Pays Off
Only after a chat on the team coach was 'El Nino' penciled into the starting XI.
Oct 25, 2009 8:34:47 PM
Rafael Benitez was basking in the glory of Liverpool's 2-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester United, after the gamble to start superstar striker Fernando Torres paid massive dividends.
The Reds manager had been under intense pressure following a disastrous run of four consecutive losses in all competitions - the club's worst series of results in 22 years.
But Benitez pulled off a win yet again when it mattered the most, and revealed that it was only on the team bus on the way to Anfield that he made his decision to start Torres.
"In the morning I had decided that he would be involved, but I needed convincing he could start rather than just be a substitute," Benitez said, according to Sporting Life.
"I talked with Fernando on the coach, and that was when I was really convinced that he could play.
"Playing Fernando was a difficult decision. He was not training, the same as Steven Gerrard. But after talking with him we decided it was better to start the game with him.
"You could see he was not 100 percent fit, but sometimes 80 percent of Fernando can make a difference. We had to be very careful with him, that is why we took him off near the end. You have to take care of him. But we were waiting for that final pass and when it came we knew he would score."
The win sees the Reds climb to fifth in the Premier League, within six points of Chelsea and four of United. In a blink of an eye, Liverpool's season is seemingly back on track, and the importance of the win was not lost on the Spanish tactician.
"I am very pleased for the club, the players and all the staff," Benitez said.
"We needed to change our luck with a win, and this was a fantastic win.
"Beforehand we were talking that this was the perfect game to change our luck, against a good team. We needed to perform in front of our fans, and to show what we were capable of. It was a fantastic performance from our players.
"Small details against such good opposition can be the difference. They had some early chances, but we were on top of them from the beginning.
"But when Fernando scored the goal, that made the difference. The team wanted to win, to show what they could do. And with every last one of our fans behind us right to the end, we managed it."
Benitez admitted that playing his trump card Torres from the start was a slight gamble, but stopped short of calling it a risk.
"Fernando had just two light training sessions ahead of the game. We could not push him too hard, he was working with the fitness coach to be sure he was not a risk," he said.
"But we knew he was not 100 percent, but he was not a risk. In the end we decided to use him."
Despite the crucial victory, the fact remains that Liverpool have lost four games already in the Premier League - twice as many as they lost for the whole of last season. But Benitez hopes that the win will instill confidence in his side to kick-start the rest of the season.
He added: "We needed to win for our confidence, and it will be a big boost for the team because the win was against such a good team.
"The fans are elated, and all the players are in the same mood. You have to be positive in football, you have to be ready.
"Our players are good players. People talked before the game that we were not, but I know that is wrong. We have many players injured, that is the problem.
"When they are fit we can be a problem for anyone. And the rest of the team will support them.
"For me the difference is that the team was working so hard to help the strikers.
"Hopefully that win will now kick-start our season. I am sure we have a team good enough to win many games in a row.
"The players just did not want to lose. They wanted to win, to show character, and this was the perfect response from them."
Philip Wen, Goal.com
See who the 15 most under-rated players are in the October issue of Goal.com Magazine.
The Reds manager had been under intense pressure following a disastrous run of four consecutive losses in all competitions - the club's worst series of results in 22 years.
But Benitez pulled off a win yet again when it mattered the most, and revealed that it was only on the team bus on the way to Anfield that he made his decision to start Torres.
"In the morning I had decided that he would be involved, but I needed convincing he could start rather than just be a substitute," Benitez said, according to Sporting Life.
"I talked with Fernando on the coach, and that was when I was really convinced that he could play.
"Playing Fernando was a difficult decision. He was not training, the same as Steven Gerrard. But after talking with him we decided it was better to start the game with him.
"You could see he was not 100 percent fit, but sometimes 80 percent of Fernando can make a difference. We had to be very careful with him, that is why we took him off near the end. You have to take care of him. But we were waiting for that final pass and when it came we knew he would score."
The win sees the Reds climb to fifth in the Premier League, within six points of Chelsea and four of United. In a blink of an eye, Liverpool's season is seemingly back on track, and the importance of the win was not lost on the Spanish tactician.
"I am very pleased for the club, the players and all the staff," Benitez said.
"We needed to change our luck with a win, and this was a fantastic win.
"Beforehand we were talking that this was the perfect game to change our luck, against a good team. We needed to perform in front of our fans, and to show what we were capable of. It was a fantastic performance from our players.
"Small details against such good opposition can be the difference. They had some early chances, but we were on top of them from the beginning.
"But when Fernando scored the goal, that made the difference. The team wanted to win, to show what they could do. And with every last one of our fans behind us right to the end, we managed it."
Benitez admitted that playing his trump card Torres from the start was a slight gamble, but stopped short of calling it a risk.
"Fernando had just two light training sessions ahead of the game. We could not push him too hard, he was working with the fitness coach to be sure he was not a risk," he said.
"But we knew he was not 100 percent, but he was not a risk. In the end we decided to use him."
Despite the crucial victory, the fact remains that Liverpool have lost four games already in the Premier League - twice as many as they lost for the whole of last season. But Benitez hopes that the win will instill confidence in his side to kick-start the rest of the season.
He added: "We needed to win for our confidence, and it will be a big boost for the team because the win was against such a good team.
"The fans are elated, and all the players are in the same mood. You have to be positive in football, you have to be ready.
"Our players are good players. People talked before the game that we were not, but I know that is wrong. We have many players injured, that is the problem.
"When they are fit we can be a problem for anyone. And the rest of the team will support them.
"For me the difference is that the team was working so hard to help the strikers.
"Hopefully that win will now kick-start our season. I am sure we have a team good enough to win many games in a row.
"The players just did not want to lose. They wanted to win, to show character, and this was the perfect response from them."
Philip Wen, Goal.com
See who the 15 most under-rated players are in the October issue of Goal.com Magazine.
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